Puyo Puyo Tetris Review

Puyo Puyo Tetris is a four-player puzzler mashup that launches April 25 for $29.99 on the Nintendo Switch. It combines the classic falling-block action of Tetris with the bean-matching gameplay of Puyo Puyo, which is similar to Kirby’s Avalanche. These games are mixed in a variety of ways, depending on the game mode you choose, but publisher Sega has found a way to do just about every possible combination. As expected, you can play Puyo Puyo or Tetris on their own. You can also play them at the same time, on the same playfield, or randomly on their own playfield as the game switches between the two. You can even play Tetris against someone playing Puyo Puyo.

When you start up the game, you are given three options that allow you to instantly start a game of Puyo Puyo, Tetris or Mix Mode. A game like this on the Switch should be simple to pick up and go and Puyo Puyo Tetris is very good at this aspect. The fact that I can boot up the game and be in a game in less than a minute is perfect for the handheld mode.

Even with all of these game mode options, there is a full story mode in which you follow the characters of the Puyo Puyo franchise. They meet new friends who don't seem to know your game and only play something called Tetris. In story mode, you will play missions which vary from competing against opponents to clearing out certain objectives as quickly as possible. The objectives are pretty straight forward and the difficulty of these levels are at just the right level to give you a little challenge, but not too arduous. The story mode is also a good tool to help learn different aspects of both games. Each level also has a 3-star objective system, which you earn a star for completing each of 3 different objectives in a level. These vary from defeating your opponent within a certain amount of time to earning a certain amount of points. Some of these objectives can be tough, but I found myself replaying some levels to attempt to get that 3rd star. It took me about 6 hours to complete story mode, but I didn’t 3-star every level.

I had the most fun in the competitive modes. One mode I really enjoy is Big Bang Mode, which is basically an Endless Fever game with up to 4 players. Players continuously solve easy puzzles for points and build up an attack bar. After a certain amount of time has passed, players battle it out and those with an edge can deal some heavy damage to the opponent's hit points. Once a player is out of hit points, they are eliminated from the game. The last player standing wins.

Multiplayer games can be played locally on TV or tabletop mode, locally with multiple Switches and online. At the time of review, online matches were not available, but I am really looking forward to getting into some online matches after the launch of Puyo Puyo Tetris on April 25. From what I could find in the Online menus, you can play against random players or easily set up a match with a friend. You can also make your own lobbies and add specific rules to challenge the internet at large.

Puyo Puyo Tetris makes its arrival on the Nintendo Switch in grand fashion. Anyone that enjoys a good puzzler from time to time should pick this one up. The solid amount of modes, both solo and online, keep the replayability high. Puyo Puyo Tetris is one of the best games currently available on the Switch. Don't miss out when it releases very soon